A graduate of The University of Mississippi, where he was a proud member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity and received a bachelor of arts degree in 1963, Pepper served for two years as an officer with the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. Pepper was elected president of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association in 1985 following service as continuing legal education chairman, secretary, vice president, and member of the board of governors and executive committee.